James m



(Nomodel) J M MILLER HYDRAULI DREDGING APPARATUS.

Patented sept. 10, 1889'.

NA PUERS. Pnnlo-Lilhogmplvef, washingtm UNITED STATES Q PATENT OEEICE.

JAMES M. MILLER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. l

HYDRAULIC DREDGING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,801, datedSeptember 10, 1889.

Application iiled April 15, 1889. Serial No. 307,267. (No model.)

T all whom it nmyjconcern:

Beit known that I, JAMES M. MILLER, acitizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic DredgingApparatus, of which the following is a specification,

reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to hydraulic dredging; and it has for its object toprovide cheap, simple, and effective means whereby the dredged materialmay be conveyed from the pump on the barge tothe place selected fordeposit.

. The invention will first be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and then pointed out in the claims.

Figure l of the drawings is a side elevation of one of the pontons and aportion of the flexibly-jointed conduitl suspended thereon. Fig. 2 is aplanview of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portionof the conduit, illustrating the manner of making the flexible joints.Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the manner of pivoting thesuspensionyoke.

ln hydraulic dredging in rivers, bays, dac., the conduit leading fromthe pump on the barge to land is generally carried by a series of.pontons or iioats, as is well understood, and in order that it may adaptitself to the rising and falling and other movements of the pontons orfloats the conduit is provided with exible joints.

The ponton which I have devised for the above-stated purpose is of verysimple and cheap construction, as will be seen on referringY to Figs. land 2 of the drawings, wherein- B represents a series of barrelssuoh,for instance, as whisky or oil barrels-aid side by side and in two ormore rows. On the middle portion of the upper side of each of thesebarrels I secure a block E, concave on its under side, so as to litclosely, and liat on top to aord a bearing for the stringers S, whichare planks of sufficient length to span all the barrels in the ponton.The blocks E may be firmly secured to the barrels and the stringers Ssecured to the blocks; but I prefer to secure all these parts togetherby passing a headed bolt b, provided with a gasket g, (to preventleakage,) through the barrel, the block, an d the sti-ringer, as seen indotted lines in Fig. l, and fasten it by a nut n. The stringers arelconnected by cross-pieces F, from which rise four y posts, whose upperends'meet over about the center of the ponton and are secured togetherby bolts h and the yoke pivot-bolt t', as seen in Fig. 4, forming theyoke-supportin g frame D.

The conduit is composed of long sections C of iron pipe, each having aiiaringbell-mouth at one end, as at e, while the other end of thesection is reduced in diameter, as at c', the radius of the curve ofthis inwardly-bent portion corresponding to the radius of the curve ofthe outwardly-curved or bell-mouthed portion. By placing theinwardly-bent or male end of one pipe-section within the bell-mouth orfemale end of another pipe-section a flexible joint is produced whichwill be suliiciently tight for the purposes of a dredge-conduit, as thedredged material is designed to pass through the pipe in the directionof the arrow. As a single joint, as above described, would, however,permit of but limited liexure, I interpose between the sections C anumber of short sections C of the same general construction as the longones, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, by which means the conduit may begiven any required degree of flexibility. Vhen the sections C and C areput together in this manner and the conduit is given ay bend, as inpassing up a river-bank, some means must be resorted to for holding thesections in the bent position. vForuthis purpose I employ rods R, whichare hooked at one end for taking into lugs Z on the bellvmouth ends ofthe sections and screw-threaded at the other end, the screw-threadedends being engaged by turn-buckles T. These rods are on two oppositesides of the pipe-sections, so that when the conduit is bentthe rods onone side of the bend may be drawn in or shortened, while those on theother side are to be let out or lengthened.

The conduit is suspended from the frame B by means of a yoke Y, pivotedon the bolt t, the yoke being connected to the sections C C byturn-buckles T', one at each end, which engages with a lug Z on eac-h ofsaid sections, and by means of which the parts of the co11- IOO duit maybe drawn tightly together. The short pipe-sections C are connected withthe yoke by means of chains 1'1, which are secured to lugs on saidsections and to the yoke. This yoke may be of any desired form, so longas itis adapted to swing in its supporting-frame and permit of theattachment of the sections by turn-buckles and chains, as aboveexplained but in the present instance I have shown it in the generalform of a bow, as seen in Fig. l.

By so constructing and placing the frame D that the yoke may be pivotedsome distance above the middle portion of the ponton and suspending theconduit from the yoke I attain a very desirable result, in that nomatter how much the ponton maybe caused to rock by the waves the conduitwill always maintain a horizontal position throughout its length, whichwould not be the case were the yoke located at or near the end of theponton.

It will be understood that there is to bc a ponton wherever the pipesections C are joined, and these pontons are connected by planks I),slotted, as at s, at each end, through which slots pass turn-buttons pon the ends of the stringers S.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Leiters Patent, is-

l. A ponton having,` an upright frame, a yoke pivoted in the upperportion of said frame, a llexiblyjointed conduit provided on its upperside with lugs, and suitable links connecting the ends of the yoke withsaid lu gs, substantially as described.

2. A ponton having a centrallydocated upright frame, a yoke pivotcd inthe upper portion oii' said frame, a conduit liexibly jointed beneathsaid yoke, and suitable links connecting the ends of the yoke with theconduit on each side of the joint, all combined substantially asdescribed.

3. A ponton having an upright frame whose top portion is over thecentral part of the ponton, a yoke pivoted in said framelongitudinallyof the ponton, a flexibly-jointed conduit provided on itsupperside Withlugs, and turnbuckles connecting the ends of the yoke withsaid lugs, whereby the conduit is suspended and its joint may betightened, substantially as described.

4. A flexibly-jointed conduit made of sections of pipe, each sectionbeing inwardly bent or curved at one end to reduce its diameter andoutwardly-curvcd or bell-mouthed at its other end, the reduced or maleend of one scction fitted within the bell-mouth or female end of anothersection, in combination with a ponton having an upright frame, a yokepivoted in the upper part of said frame, and means for connecting thesections with the yoke, for the purposes stated.

5. A flexibly-jointed conduit made of sections of pipe each havingr amale and a female end, as described, the male end of one section fittedwithin the female end of another section, and rods carrying.,Tturn-buckles connecting,` the sections, substantially as described, andfor the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof I afix my signatu re in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. MILLER. Witnesses:

G. W. lALLocn, WM. HUNTER MYERS.

